Spool

ABSTRACT

The present invention concerns a spool for storing and distributing self-adhesive stickers. 
     It consists of a body comprising an outlet orifice of the strip ( 4 ), an inner guide ( 7 ), an upper guide forcing the strip to bend and enabling the automatic separation of the sticker by exerting a poll on said strip ( 5 ), and a last guide including a cutting blade in ( 12 ). The device according to the invention is particularly intended for the use of rolls of self-adhesive stickers.

The present invention concerns a spool for storing and distributing self-adhesive stickers positioned on a support strip arranged in a roll.

Rolls of self-adhesive stickers are generally unpackaged or in cardboard spools that have no durability over time.

Unpackaged rolls deteriorate from lack of storage support, and cardboard is not strong enough over time because of frequent handling.

The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,713 describes a device for distribution of stamps positioned on a support strip in a roll.

Embodiments described below enable the disadvantages of the prior art to be resolved by enabling an easy extraction of said stickers simply by sliding the support strip between the guides with a finger.

Said support strip is guided out by a strip guide enabling the automatic separation of the stickers and by another guide with a cutting blade allowing the excess to be cut off of the support strip from which the stickers have been removed.

This spool has a lockable side cover maintaining the roll inside its housing.

For this purpose, proposed first is a device for distributing self-adhesive stickers positioned on a strip arranged in a roll, said device comprising an enclosure incorporating a back and a side wall, the back and the side wall defining a housing suitable for receiving, around a central axis substantially perpendicular to the back, said roll, the side wall comprising an outlet orifice for the strip from the roll, said outlet orifice defining a first portion and a second portion of the side wall on either side of said outlet orifice, said device further comprising

-   -   a first outer strip guide intended to guide the strip from the         roll, said first outer strip guide being positioned on the outer         face of the first portion at the edge of the outlet orifice;     -   a second outer strip guide intended to guide the strip from the         roll, said second outer strip guide being positioned on the         outer face of the second portion at the edge of the outlet         orifice, the first outer strip guide and the second outer strip         guide facing each other on either side of the outlet orifice.

Various additional characteristics can be foreseen, alone or in combination:

-   -   the device further comprises a third outer strip guide intended         to guide the strip from the roll, said third outer strip guide         being positioned on the outer face of the first portion of the         side wall;     -   the third outer strip guide comprises a cutting blade;     -   the device further comprises a fourth outer strip guide intended         to guide the strip from the roll, said fourth outer strip guide         being positioned on the outer face of the second portion of the         side wall;     -   the fourth outer strip guide comprises a cutting blade;     -   the device further comprises an inner strip guide intended to         force the strip from the roll into the axis of the outlet         orifice;     -   the first portion and the second portion are interconnected by a         support base;     -   the device further comprises a closing cover;     -   the back of the device comprises said central axis, said central         axis being intended to allow the fitting of the closing cover;     -   the closing cover is lockable by rotation on the central axis;     -   the device is substantially symmetrical relative to a plane         comprising the central axis and the axis of the outlet orifice;         the axis of the outlet orifice forms an acute angle with the         axis along which the first outer strip guide is intended to         guide the strip;     -   the axis of the outlet orifice forms an acute angle with the         axis along which the second strip guide is intended to guide the         strip;     -   the back comprises on the outer face thereof a coupling means         intended to enable the coupling face-to-face of said device to a         second identical device by the upper faces of the respective         backs.

Also proposed, in the second place, is an assembly comprising the above device and a second device identical thereto, said two devices being coupled together face-to-face by the outer faces of their respective backs.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be seen more clearly and specifically from the following description of embodiments provided with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a spool viewed in perspective.

FIG. 2 represents the cover of the spool viewed in perspective.

With reference to FIG. 1, said spool comprises an enclosure 1 incorporating a back 3 and a side wall 2.

The side wall 2 and the back 3 define a housing suitable for receiving, around a central axis 14 substantially perpendicular to the back 3, a strip 5 arranged in a roll 6 and on which self-adhesive stickers 9 are positioned. The roll 6 can rotate freely about the central axis 14.

The central axis 14, substantially perpendicular and integral with the back 3, allows the guiding of the roll 6 as well as the fitting and holding of a protective closing cover 15 (FIG. 2) lockable by rotation or by any other equivalent mechanism. The closing cover 15 is therefore removable.

The side wall 2 comprises an outlet orifice 4 allowing the strip 5 to emerge when the roll 6 is placed in the enclosure 1 about the central axis 14. The outlet orifice 4 defines a first portion (or a right portion) and a second portion (or a left portion) of the side wall 2 on either side of said outlet orifice 4. The side wall 2 thus comprises a first right portion of the outlet orifice 4 and a second left portion of the outlet orifice 4.

The first portion and the second portion of the side wall 2 are interconnected by a support base 13 for the spool.

The side wall 2 further comprises an inner strip guide 7 forcing the strip 5 into the axis of the outlet orifice 4.

The first portion (or the right portion) of the side wall 2 comprises on the outer face thereof and at the edge of the outlet orifice 4 a first outer strip guide 8 allowing the strip 5 to be guided when it is inserted therein. Similarly, the second portion (or the left portion) of the side wall 2 comprises on the outer face thereof and at the edge of the outlet orifice 4 a second outer strip guide 8 b allowing the strip 5 to be guided when it is inserted therein. The first and second outer strip guides 8, 8 b, respectively, positioned on the first portion and second portion of the side wall 2 face each other on either side of the outlet orifice 4.

The first outer strip guide 8 enables the automatic separation of the stickers 9 from the strip 5 when it is inserted thereinto and pulled as indicated by the arrow 10. In effect, the first outer strip guide 8 forces the strip 5 of the roll 6 to bend the strip at an angle enabling the automatic separation of the sticker 9 by applying tension 10 on said strip 5.

When the strip passes through the outlet orifice 4 and through the first or second outer strip guide 8, 8 b, the strip 5 is bent at an acute angle formed by the axis of the outlet orifice 4 and the axis along which it is guided (or the trajectory imposed upon it) by the first or second outer strip guide 8, 8 b. Pulling the strip 5, forcing it to follow this angle, enables the automatic separation of the self-adhesive sticker 9 from the strip 5.

The example illustrated in FIG. 1 is that of a strip 5 inserted via the first outer strip guide 8 positioned on the right portion (or the first portion) of the side wall 2. In this example, the self-adhesive stickers 9 are positioned on the outer face of the strip 5 and the roll 6 is unwound by causing it to turn clockwise about the central axis 14. When the self-adhesive stickers 9 are positioned on the inner face of the strip 5 (not shown in FIG. 1), the distribution of said stickers 9 is obtained by maintaining the roll 6 in the position illustrated in FIG. 1 and by passing the strip 5 through the second outer strip guide 8 b positioned on the left portion of the side wall 2. The result is that, starting from a given positioning of the roll 6 in the enclosure 1 (i.e. positioned to turn about the central axis 14 in a certain direction to be unwound), the distribution of the self-adhesive stickers 9 irrespective of whether they are positioned on the inner face or outer face of the strip 5 is possible without modifying the initial positioning of the roll 6 in the enclosure 1.

More generally, irrespective of the positioning of the roll 6 in the enclosure (i.e. of its direction of rotation to be unwound) and of the face (inner or outer) of the strip 5 on which the self-adhesive stickers 9 are positioned, one of the two outer strip guides 8, 8 b is always suitable for distribution of said self-adhesive stickers 9.

Moreover, to use the first (respectively, second) outer strip guide 8 (8 b) of the right portion (respectively, left), the roll 6, when the self-adhesive stickers 9 are positioned on the outer face of the strip 5, is positioned in the enclosure 1 so that said roll 6 should turn clockwise (respectively, counter-clockwise) about the central axis 14.

The result is that the strip 5 can be pulled from the left or from the right of the spool. Thus, said spool can be used by right handed as well as left handed persons.

In one embodiment, a third outer strip guide 11 is positioned on the outer face of the first portion. Similarly, a fourth outer strip guide 11 b is positioned on the outer face of the second portion.

The third outer strip guide 11 is downstream from the first outer strip guide 8 relative to the direction of pulling 10 of the strip 5 from the roll 6. Similarly, the fourth outer strip guide 11 b is downstream from the second outer strip guide 8 b relative to the direction of pull of the strip 5 from the roll 6.

The third and fourth outer strip guide 11, 11 b respectively comprise a cutting blade 12, 12 b allowing the excess of the strip to be cut off 5 from which the self-adhesive stickers 9 have been removed.

In one embodiment, the enclosure is substantially symmetrical relative to a plane comprising the central axis 14 and the axis of the outlet orifice 4.

This spool can be coupled face-to-face with an identical spool by the outer face of the back 3, making it possible to use two different colors of stickers simultaneously. Coupling means are provided for that purpose in the back 3. Said coupling means can comprise any means of mechanical, magnetic, or chemical attachment, or a combination of said means.

The spool described above is intended for the storage and distribution of self-adhesive stickers. 

1. Device for distributing self-adhesive stickers positioned on a strip arranged in a roll, said device comprising an enclosure incorporating a back and a side wall, the back and the side wall defining a housing suitable for receiving, around a central axis substantially perpendicular to the back, said roll, the side wall comprising an outlet orifice for the strip from the roll, said outlet orifice defining a first portion and a second portion of the side wall on either side of said outlet orifice, said device further comprises a first outer strip guide intended to guide the strip from the roll, said first outer strip guide being positioned on the outer face of the first portion at the edge of the outlet orifice; a second outer strip guide intended to guide the strip from the roll, said second outer strip guide being positioned on the outer face of the second portion at the edge of the outlet orifice, the first outer strip guide and the second outer strip guide facing each other on either side of the outlet orifice.
 2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a third outer strip guide intended to guide the strip from the roll, said third outer strip guide being positioned on the outer face of the first portion of the side wall;
 3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the third outer strip guide comprises a cutting blade.
 4. Device according to claim 2, wherein the device further comprises a fourth outer strip guide intended to guide the strip from the roll, said fourth outer strip guide being positioned on the outer face of the second portion of the side wall;
 5. Device according to claim 4, wherein the fourth outer strip guide comprises a cutting blade.
 6. Device according to claim 1, further comprising an inner stripped guide intended to force the strip from the role into the axis of the outlet orifice.
 7. Device according to claim 6, wherein the first portion and the second portion are interconnected by a support base.
 8. Device according to claim 1, further comprising a closing cover.
 9. Device according to claim 8, wherein the back comprises said central axis, said central axis being intended to allow the fitting of the closing cover.
 10. Device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the closing cover is lockable by rotation on the central axis.
 11. Device according to claim 1, wherein the device is substantially symmetrical relative to a plane comprising the central axis and the axis of the outlet orifice.
 12. Device according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the outlet orifice forms an acute angle with the axis along which the first outer strip guide is intended to guide the strip.
 13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the outlet orifice forms an acute angle with the axis along which the second outer strip guide is intended to guide the strip.
 14. Device according to claim 1, wherein the back comprises on the outer face thereof a coupling means intended to enable the face-to-face coupling of said device to a second identical device by the upper faces of the respective backs thereof.
 15. Assembly comprising a first device and a second device, each according to claim 14, the first device being coupled face-to-face with the second device by the outer faces of their respective backs. 